


After All This Time

by BubbaKnowlton



Series: After All This Time [DS9 AU] [1]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Gen, Minor Violence, alternate Cardassian biology, alternate universe - ziyal has a bajoran half brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 10:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17041640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbaKnowlton/pseuds/BubbaKnowlton
Summary: “Excuse me, miss, but are you Tora Ziyal?”Ziyal looked up to see a Bajoran man standing a few feet away from her. Something about him seemed familiar, though she was sure she had never seen him before. He looked nervous, fiddling with his earring.“Yes. How are you?”“Good. May I sit here?” He gestured to the seat opposite of hers. A bit nervous herself, she nodded. He sat, and stared at her. “Hm, you really do look like her.”Like who? “You look familiar, yourself. May I ask your name?”“Oh, we’ve never met.” He lowered his hand. “My name is Tora Linaan. I... I suppose I’m your half brother.”





	After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

> so i thought to myself,,, 'hey wouldnt it be neat if Ziyal had an older bajoran sibling so she can have one (1) blood relative that truly cares about her, someone on Bajor to look after her when Kira can't' and that's how I came up w Tora Linaan, my sweet & nervous boy who loves and supports his lizard sister even though he's lowkey terrified of all her friends
> 
> This story is Technically a sequel to my Dukat/Naprem fic, _Imagine_ , but you don't have to read that to understand this. also this fic is just extremely self-indulgent, lmao.

**After All This Time**

Ziyal could remember her mother quite clearly. Her memory wasn’t as great as the average Cardassian, but she remembered people very well. Her mother was tall, with a fire in her deep brown eyes. She was warm, much warmer than her father, and Ziyal recalled her jokingly referring to herself as a living heat pack on more than one occasion. She was kind, but passionate, and made sure to teach Ziyal all about Bajor, alongside her Cardassian studies. Sometimes, she would look sad, but always cheered up after focusing on her.  
Sighing, Ziyal stared down at the cup of tea in her hands. She missed her mother. Although she’d had many years to get over it, it was still difficult, at times. To go from always being with her mother in safety and comfort, to watching the life drain from her and being dragged off to work in the Breen mines.

The station was lonely. Sure, she had Nerys, which she was very thankful for, and she was developing some sort of friendship with Garak, but other than those two, she didn’t have anyone she was close to. Her father wasn’t on the station, so there wasn’t anyone she felt like she could call family. Eventually, she hoped, she would be permitted to be Nerys’ family, but that would take time.

Her depressed mood continued, much to her dismay. Garak was busy in his shop, and Nerys had to cancel their springball practice due to some kind of minor station emergency. Something about security, and Nerys had sounded guilty about missing another opportunity to spend time together. Ziyal couldn’t help but feel miserable. Painting would clear her up, no doubt, but her quarters were so far, and she hadn’t touched her cup of tea...

She took a sip from it, frowning when she realized it had started to go cold. There was no use in forcing herself to drink it. It would just make her feel worse. Returning it to the replicator took barely any time at all. For once, the replimat was sparse. A Bajoran couple sat at a table far away from her, and a few Starfleet officers were catching a break at various tables. One of the shopkeepers was typing on a padd, a mug next to them.

Sitting back at her table, she lifted up her sketchbook and decided to try drawing something to distract her mind.

When she ended up with a sketch of her mother’s face, she sighed again and closed the book.

“Excuse me, miss, but are you Tora Ziyal?”

Ziyal looked up to see a Bajoran man standing a few feet away from her. Something about him seemed familiar, though she was sure she had never seen him before. He looked nervous, fiddling with his earring. 

“Yes. How are you?”

“Good. May I sit here?” He gestured to the seat opposite of hers. A bit nervous herself, she nodded. He sat, and stared at her. “Hm, you really do look like her.”

Like who? “You look familiar, yourself. May I ask your name?”

“Oh, we’ve never met.” He lowered his hand. “My name is Tora Linaan. I... I suppose I’m your half brother.”

“My half brother?” she echoed, surprised.

“Through our mother, Tora Naprem. When I heard you were- well, that you existed, I had to come see for myself. You have her nose ridges, so I suppose the rumors are true.”

“You have her nose ridges too. And her family symbol.” She was suspicious. Surgical alteration was very simple, and it was easy enough to get a fake earring.

“Yeah. You don’t wear an d’ja pagh?”

“Ah, no... I don’t know much about the Bajoran religion. Major Kira has been trying to teach me.” It was the truth, and she hoped that by saying Nerys’ name, it would deter the man if he was a fake trying to hurt her in some way. “Mother didn’t teach me too much about it.”

“It was never very important to her, huh? My mum hated that about her. She’d tell me, ‘Linaan, your mother was a wonderful woman, but she was spiritually lacking. Don’t end up like that.’ I wish she’d gotten over that.” He looked down, sadness in his eyes. “After what she did for us...”

“Linaan?”

“Ah- sorry, I shouldn’t bring up bad things.” He smiled at her. “This is a blessed day, I’ve finally met my sister! I do hope you’ll accept me as family. You’re all I have left. It’s... It’s been very lonely on Bajor, since my mum died.”

He sounded so sincere, maybe he was telling the truth after all. Could that be why her mother sometimes looked so sad, remembering a son and wife she’d left behind on Bajor for a new, Cardassian family?

“I would love to continue talking to you, Linaan.”

“Great! Would you like me to go get some tea? I have so many questions for you, and I imagine you’ll have plenty for me.”

“No, I’m alright.” 

-

Linaan seemed to get over his nervousness after telling her a few things about himself. He was twenty-eight years old, a research assistant in a university, and spent most of his time organizing things for the professors and scientists there. He lived by himself in a small house in Ashalla, and wasn’t on very good terms with his neighbors for reasons he chose not to elaborate on.

“Mother never mentioned living in Ashalla.”

“Oh, no, Mother never lived with us.”

“She didn’t?”

“Mother called me an unexpected blessing from the prophets. She stayed in her home province, but visited us often. Occasionally, we would visit her.”

“She said the same thing about me.”

Linaan tilted his head. “Oh, you don’t believe me, do you?”

“Well-”

He chuckled. “I suspected you wouldn’t. If you’d like, we can go to the infirmary and run a genetic test.”

Once again, she was surprised. “You’d do that?”

“Of course. I want you to see me as family. Then we can really talk, instead of you listening to me rambling on about my life.”

-

Doctor Bashir had a moment of free time, and was happy to run the test for them. Linaan didn’t look worried at all, and Ziyal started to wonder if he really was telling the truth. It would be nice to have a relative living on Bajor. He seemed to really want to connect with her. Perhaps he could visit often, or call her whenever he wasn’t too busy at the university, if he was being honest.

As the computer ran through its scan, she began to feel hopeful. This could be the solution to her loneliness. Maybe the station wouldn’t feel so isolating anymore, with a family member just a few hours, a video call away.

“ _Results ready,_ ” the computer announced.

“It’s a match,” Doctor Bashir said, shocked, looking at the screen. “You’re really half siblings.”

Linaan gave her a wide, tilted grin, just like their mother’s, and she beamed back. He put an arm around her shoulders. “We have a lot of catching up to do, Ziyal! Should we go back to the replimat? I’m afraid I don’t know the station at all.”

“I know a quiet place in one of the pylons we could talk.” She bid Doctor Bashir a quick thanks and goodbye, and then started walking. Linaan followed her. “Oh, then I want to introduce you to Major Kira! She’s the one who brought me here, and has been looking after me.”

“Do you have many friends on board?”

“Not really... Most people only see me as Cardassian, or avoid me once they know who my father is.”

“I was very surprised when I found out Mother had promised herself to him. But I figured that she probably raised you mostly by herself, so you would be a nice person.”

“We lived on the station during the Occupation, in my father’s quarters.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Was your father good to you?”

“He was, and is. He loves me very much.”

“That’s good. So, do you have any friends at all? Besides Major Kira. If you don’t, I’ll help you find some friends at the university. One of my coworkers is a hybrid, like you. I could introduce you to her.”

Kira had suggested finding friends for her, but Ziyal didn’t want people to feel obligated to befriend her. “No, it’s alright. The senior staff is very kind to me, and I’m friends with the tailor on board. He and I eat lunch together with Doctor Bashir and sometimes go to the holosuite.”

“A tailor? Did he make this dress for you?”

She nodded. “Do you have many friends?”

“Oh, um... Not nearly, actually. Not after... Well, my reputation took a bit of a down turn recently, and I had to cut a lot of people from my personal life. The hybrid I mentioned, though, we’ve become good friends.”

“Did something happen?”

“Well...” He looked a bit guilty. “I’ve been trying to figure out what happened to Mother, and when it got out that you existed, uh... Everyone around me called Mother a collaborator, and shunned me for defending her. I’ve always been kind to Teya, as well, and any of the war orphans I saw, so they called me a Cardassian sympathizer.”

“Oh.”

“Ah, it doesn’t matter. Well, I don’t like them saying bad things about our mother, but I still have my job, and the professors can’t find fault with my work. Enough about me. What do you do on the station?”

“I’m an artist. I do paintings.”

“That’s amazing! I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.”

“That’s what Nerys says. Major Kira.” She couldn’t wait to introduce them. “You guys have something in common already, I’m sure she’ll like you.”

“Perhaps I could meet your tailor friend too. I could use a new shirt.”

-

They sat down by a viewport and talked for what had to be hours, exchanging stories. Linaan was uncomfortable talking about his time in various work camps, and Ziyal avoided too much discussion about her time in the Breen mine. She didn’t even talk about that with her father, and she had a feeling they both shared the desire to forget their time in those places.

Linaan told her how her mother had been transferred to Terok Nor after they were all captured for the work camp while visiting her, how after a while they began receiving better rations than the other workers. “They wanted to take Mum, but Mother begged the soldiers to take her instead. She told me she was doing it to protect us, had heard that the Bajoran women who cooperated got special treatment for their family.”

“Nerys told me about that, too.”

“We worried about her. Mum thought it was a stupid idea, because they weren’t married, and it wasn’t actually on the records at the time that I was Mother’s son. I had to go register myself after the Occupation ended. All I had to prove it was my d’ja pagh.”

“I wonder why Mother never told me about you...”

“How would have you felt if you’d known, then?”

“Guilty, I suppose.”

“She wouldn’t have wanted to upset you. And don’t feel that way now. I don’t blame you for her never coming back. I’m glad that we have each other now.”

“Do you think she ever told my father about you?”

Linaan shrugged. “She did whatever she could to protect us. I suppose you could ask your father, but, ah...”

“What is it?”

“Well, if you choose to ask him, please ask over video. I don’t want to be introduced to him in person.” She could understand that. “I still haven’t gotten used to the idea that Mother sired a child with the Prefect, of all people.”

She smiled. “But the Cardassian part you got over?”

“Mostly. I’m still wrapping my head around that. Cardassians never seemed the type to like submitting to Bajorans.”

“My father has different tastes than most Cardassians.” And it got him in so much trouble. She sighed when she thought about how much effort he put into trying to charm Nerys and Captain Sisko. “It’s embarrassing, really.”

“How many siblings do you have, again? Six?”

“Seven.”

“Are you sure?”

She buried her face in her hands. The thought had admittedly occurred to her many times. When she’d been introduced to her father’s family, his wife had asked if Ziyal was the only one. She couldn’t be sure it was true when he had promised that Ziyal was the only child outside of their marriage he’d had. Sure, she believed she was the only one he’d carried himself, but had he fathered any others? “I don’t know,” she quietly bemoaned.

Linaan patted her shoulder in comfort. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Sighing, she uncovered her face and said, “At least out of eight half siblings, I have one that didn’t hate me on sight.”

“And I’m glad to have one of one half siblings that gave me a chance to prove myself as real. Shall we go find Major Kira? I’m getting hungry, we could invite her to lunch. Or dinner. What time is it?”

-

They found Nerys near the security office. She was frowning at a padd, no doubt some criminal activity report she’d picked up from Odo. Ziyal took Linaan’s wrist in her hand and waved to her. “Nerys!”

“Ziyal.” She eyed Linaan warily. “Who is this?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Major Kira. My name is Tora Linaan.”

“Tora?”

“This is my older brother. We have the same mother.” Nerys looked suspicious. “Doctor Bashir confirmed it earlier.”

“How long have you been on the station?”

“Since 1100. Ziyal has told me much about you. Thank you for looking out for her all this time, and being such a good friend.”

“I’m just doing what’s right. Where do you live?”

Ah, her brother was being interrogated. She supposed she should have expected it. At least Linaan didn’t seem to mind her wariness. “Ashalla. I work at the university. Would you like to come eat with us? I can answer all the questions you like over dinner.”

“Sure. Ziyal, do you mind if I ask Odo to come with us?”

Goodness, it really would be an interrogation. She nodded anyways.

-

“So, you’ve never met Gul Dukat?”

“No. I wasn’t even aware our mother had met him until last week. Ziyal is going to ask him if he knew about me. I’m rather curious as to whether or not Mother mentioned my mum and I to him.”

Odo huffed. “I imagine he’ll drop by for a visit to make sure you’re really Ziyal’s brother, regardless of the answer.”

“I’ll mentally prepare for an interrogation.”

Nerys poked at her hasperat. “You keep mentioning that you have two mothers. Was your mum your real sire or just adoptive?”

“Oh, no, Mum is my biological bearer. I look more like her than I do to Mother.”

“Wait- Naprem is your sire? But, Ziyal-”

“My father carried me.”

“What?”

“Cardassians don’t have the same reproductive system as Bajorans. Any Cardassian, provided they’re fertile, can bear children.” Linaan answered.

Ziyal nodded. “It’s more difficult for some than others to conceive and give birth naturally depending where they fall on the spectrum. Father is on the ‘male’ end, while I’m more on the ‘female’ end. Male being easier to sire, female being easier to bear.”

“Wait, Linaan, how did you know that? I didn’t even know that.”

“One of my coworkers is a hybrid. She mentioned it to me when we volunteered at the orphanage.”

“Odo, did you know that?”

“Certainly not.”

“You really didn’t know that? Ziyal, did you ever say anything?”

“I’ve mentioned where I fall on the spectrum to Doctor Bashir, but he already knew about it.”

Odo had had enough of discussing Cardassian biology and changed the subject. “Linaan, where were you during the Occupation, if your mother was on the station?”

“In work camps. None that got liberated, unfortunately. I was working until the day the Cardassians withdrew.” He prodded at his food. “Well, I’d rather like to forget what the camps were like. Major, Ziyal told me you and her play springball together? Perhaps I could watch, one day.”

“I told you, I’m not very good at it.”

“Springball takes practice, Ziyal.”

-

“Garak!” Ziyal spotted Garak the next day, and pulled Linaan over to him. “Garak, I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

He turned when he heard her voice, and gave the two of them a polite smile. “Ziyal. How are you this morning?”

“I’m doing well! I’d like you to meet my older brother, Tora Linaan! Linaan, this is my friend, the tailor.”

“Oh, you didn’t mention he was Cardassian.”

“That isn’t a problem, is it, my dear boy?”

“No, I just... Have had a lot of Cardassian surprises this week. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Garak.”

“Please, just Garak.”

“Garak. I’d like to thank you for looking out for my sister. She speaks very fondly of you.”

Ziyal noticed something. “You don’t look very surprised.”

“I admit, my dear, that Doctor Bashir told me the news yesterday. No doubt the Major interrogated you all night, so I’ll spare you the same treatment.”

“Did you do a background check on him?”

He raised a hand to his chest in mock offense. “My dear, I would never break into someone’s personal records! That’s quite illegal.”

“Yes, but you did it anyways, didn’t you?”

“Oh, it’s alright, Ziyal,” Linaan assured. “I’ve had my records picked apart by the university, having them checked by your friends doesn’t make any difference. I’m glad they care so much about you to do that.”

“I’m sure your records prove that you’re a good person.” He looked away, nervous again. She frowned. “Linaan?”

“Ah, well, I don’t have a criminal record or anything, it’s just... You know how I said it wasn’t on the records that I was Mother’s son?”

“Yes.”

“There aren’t actually... any records of me before I walked into a government building and asked to be registered. Legally, I didn’t exist until after the Occupation. Any record of my existence in the work camps was erased during the Cardassian withdrawal.” He reached up to fiddle with his earring. “It’s pretty suspicious, really.”

Garak nodded. “If it wasn’t for Doctor Bashir’s genetic test, you would have no real evidence of being Tora Naprem’s son. Ziyal, I imagine your father won’t take that well.”

-

“Father, no!” Ziyal was impressed at how well Linaan was handling being accused of being a fake while being slammed against a wall. “Linaan isn’t lying!”

“Naprem would never have kept a child hidden from me!”

“She did- My bearer and I received extra rations, she must have lied about who we were. Did she ever ask you to help a woman named Aako Ceri?”

Her father paused to think. “She asked to give better rations to her friend Aako and her family.”

“Mum hated her, because she didn’t have faith in the Prophets. They couldn’t tell anyone about me, because Mother was from such a low d’jarra.” Linaan gasped for breath. “Why would I lie about this?”

“To hurt my daughter in order to get revenge against me, the head of the Occupation.”

Linaan looked over at Ziyal, and she couldn’t believe he was taking the time to acknowledge that that was a good point. “Linaan... Really?”

“I told you my record was suspicious, sister.”

“Don’t agree with him!” Goodness, it was like he was _trying_ to get himself strangled.

“Well, you have to admit that it’s a good plan.” Linaan frowned at her. “You really were too trusting of me when I approached you. _I’m_ worried, now.”

“Stop talking to my daughter!”

Ziyal grabbed her father’s arm and tried to tug him away. “Father, please! Doctor Bashir did a genetic test- he’s really my half-brother!”

“That was a Federation test, sister, why should he believe it?”

“You’re not helping, Linaan!” she scolded. To her father she suggested, “Why don’t we go onto your ship and perform a test there?”

Scowling, her father reluctantly agreed. Linaan gasped for breath when he was released, and winced as her father grabbed his arms and pushed him forward. “Let’s go.”

-

“This can’t be real!”

While her father had some sort of crisis at the positive match the computer was displaying, Ziyal found a dermal regenerator and brought it over to Linaan to heal the bruises that were beginning to form on his arms and neck. Bajorans had sensitive skin like humans, so his skin was already turning all sorts of different shades.

The bruises faded with a few swipes of the regenerator, and Linaan rubbed the spots they’d been. “Thank you, Ziyal.” He gave her a small smile, and squeezed her hand. Then he looked past her at her father. “I’m willing to answer any questions you may have, sir. If you’re still worried, you can check my answers with Major Kira and Constable Odo. They questioned me as well.”

“Why wouldn’t Naprem tell me about you?”

“Mother always wanted to protect us. I’m certain she believed that keeping my mum and I a secret from you was for our own good.”

“I wouldn’t have hurt you. She should have known that, after I promised to protect our daughter.”

Ziyal decided not to bring up the fact that he had intended to kill her when he found her in the Breen mine. Now wasn’t a good time for her to say anything.

“I don’t really know, sir. Whatever her reasoning, I know she never meant to hurt you or Ziyal. Tora Naprem wasn’t that kind of person.”

“No, she wasn’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow/talk to me on Tumblr: @Oblio-k


End file.
